T.I. on Guns: "The Complete Overall Ban of Firearms Is a Bad Idea"

T.I. released his somewhat introspective Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head in December. Song titles like "Guns and Roses," "Hallelujah" and "Wildside" from the tracklist could be considered obvious connections to the Atlanta rapper's last half-decade of on-and-off incarceration. Tip's lock-up problems began with his 2007 arrest for illegal possession of machine guns and silencers before the BET awards show, and was later eclipsed after he was arrested again for illegal drug possession while on probation. Troubled man, indeed.

Despite his gun problems, not to mention the current school and mass shooting epidemic plaguing America, T.I. remains affirmative when it comes to gun possession. He has never shied away from the fact people should have the right to legally bear firearms, as the Second Amendment reads.

“I think there should be some adjustments made to the criteria that must be made in order for you to be allowed to have [a gun],” T.I. said during a recent radio interview with Hartford’s 97.3. “The complete overall ban of firearms [is] a bad idea simply because if you do that, then you say the only people who are going to have guns, are the ones willing to break the law to keep them. That means you are putting the guns in the hands of only the criminals.”

President Obama has put new gun control recommendations for the U.S. in the hands of Vice President Joe Biden, who will deliver his ideas this coming Tuesday (Jan. 15). The new restrictions aim to reduce gun violence, but the extent and severity of the restrictions is still unknown.

VIBE wants you to sound off on the gun debate. Do agree with T.I. or do you think all guns should be eradicated in the U.S. to prevent further mass shootings? For T.I.'s full interview head here.